Many well-intentioned school leaders struggle in their efforts to reform grading and reporting due to problems that could have been anticipated and avoided. Explore these issues and how to purposefully address them to avoid the conflicts they create. Develop a deep understanding of the change process and how to engage parents and families as true partners in reform efforts.

Visualize the worst presentation that you have ever been a part of as an adult learner. Now visualize the best one. No doubt there is a considerable difference between the two professional learning opportunities. Learn the answers to three basic questions: What are strategies that I can use to make my professional development experience unforgettable? What are techniques that result in sustained adult behavior change? What are 10 things that keep adults living well beyond the age of 80?

Increasingly, school leaders are being asked to assume the role of instructional coach, often without clear guidance. Grounded in 25 years of research from The Instructional Coaching Group, explore the four essentials of effective coaching and how to use Fast Track Impact Cycles to drive real change.

Creating a classroom ready to tackle polarizing conversations requires intentional strategies that empower students to engage in discussions in a way that fosters critical thinking, empathy, and respect.

Want to help teachers engage all students, including those who are disconnected, disengaged, or unconfident? Explore grab-and-go instructional "hacks" that can be immediately used to coach and support secondary classroom teachers, with little to no additional instructional planning.

Research shows that students are more engaged when learning aligns with their interests, needs, and experiences. We introduce Liberatory Design as a way to co-design dynamic approaches to centering student experience. Learn how understanding the needs of students can help you co-create vibrant, purposeful, and engaging learning spaces alongside young people.

Explore how a regional service center collaborates with rural district and school leadership to overcome barriers and achieve sustainable curriculum implementation. Learn about the curriculum implementation framework, tools, and strategies that address adoption, installation, implementation, and sustainability challenges.

Foster on-the-job learning with high-impact teams, applying a four-step formative assessment for results cycle to drive continuous improvement and use of data in classrooms. Build educator capacity and student success in the face of teacher shortages and underpreparation, and unleash the power of teacher teams to enhance collaboration, increase efficacy, and implement evidence-based practices that boost student achievement.

Are you ready to transform new teacher retention and effectiveness in your district or state? Discover how a successful statewide induction program delivers tangible results, combining intensive mentoring and professional learning. This session will provide deep insights into a standards-driven, data-informed systems approach that powerfully leverages mentoring and leadership to cultivate a thriving and sustainable education system for all stakeholders.

When teachers learn, students learn. Explore research-based instruction and observe as high-quality instruction is enacted by a colleague with students they know. Learn how you can create this career-shifting learning model in your own clssroom.

Collaborative Response is often described as the "missing piece" when establishing highly intentional and focused frameworks. We share why every school needs four layers of collaboration and what these layers look like; why we should stop focusing on the same students in every layer; how data and evidence can be used to focus on students who have not driven our discussions in the past; and why schools need to stop tiering students.

Explore a free, high-quality professional learning program that actively engages teachers in building effective math intervention strategies, implementing instructional routines with students, debriefing experiences, and strengthening strategies.

Discover how mindset shapes school culture and impacts outcomes for all students. Explore the most common paradigms — both empowering and disempowering — and learn to embrace the no-nonsense nurturer approach to foster stronger, more supportive relationships.

See how district leaders are building systemwide inclusion through collaboration practices that prioritize academic rigor. Gain actionable strategies for embedding collaborative planning, using academic-centered data, and aligning instructional coaching to meet the needs of all learners.

Grasp data literacy principles by collecting, assessing, and interpreting data. Hone skills to effectively gather, analyze, and interpret data, guiding instructional practices and leadership decisions. Formulate actionable plans from data analysis, boosting teacher and leader efficacy while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.

Take the first step toward deep implementation of the Standards for Professional Learning by assessing the current state of professional learning in your school or system. Experience an overview of the Standards Assessment Inventory and how this web-based teacher survey helps schools and districts measure their alignment with standards, identify strengths and areas of focus in their professional learning, and plan professional learning that has maximum impact on teaching and learning.

Discover how to design and implement effective microcredentials for professional learning with a focus on artificial intelligence in K-12 education. Explore the structure, content, and strategies of a successful 6-week AI microcredential that includes hands-on, immediately applicable activities, balanced insights into AI tools and risks, and forward-thinking strategies for classroom and district integration.

Explore the planning and preparation needed to facilitate a weekend early career educator induction academy, taking into account the needs of early career educators. Make connections among the educator as a person, a professional, and a practitioner, and the implications for facilitating professional learning.

Engage by doing! Examine and experience a model for professional learning that enhances school culture incorporating the a range of school professionals. Educators practice, design, test, and collaborate in Universal Design for Learning and STEAM to explore learning that will engage their students.

Come make your professional learning implementation outcome-driven and evaluation-aligned! Learn how to utilize the KASABs (Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Aspirations, and Behaviors) to clearly articulate end goals of learning for teachers, leaders, and students. Leave with beefed-up skills and the attitude and motivation to use them!

Harness AI and neuroscience to redefine professional learning and enhance instructional design. Explore tools that streamline curriculum creation, boost engagement, and improve learning retention using cognitive science principles, with research-backed strategies aligned with the Standards for Professional Learning.

Explore a framework that provides instructional coaches and school administrators with actionable strategies to enhance individual teacher support within the professional learning communities model. Learn to align individual coaching with team dynamics for a comprehensive approach to teacher development.

It is critically important that we strive to develop ourselves not just as educators and collaborative team members, but as human beings. Based on the book Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work, we will look at skills and capacities required to be more psychologically mature and emotionally intelligent collaborative educators.

Discover how one state has reimagined teacher leadership to empower educators to develop their skills and take on new roles while remaining in the classroom. Explore their collaborative vision for teacher leadership, showcasing how teachers, administrators, community members, and policymakers have created a sustainable, statewide program.

Explore a comprehensive approach to building and sustaining teacher leadership, which directly supports student achievement and school improvement through mentoring and peer learning. Discover practices like mentor-driven induction programs and collaborative learning groups to enhance teaching practices and self-efficacy. Understand how to use data to evaluate mentorship and peer learning initiatives, ensuring they meet teachers' needs and align with schoolwide goals for effective professional learning.

Systemwide continuous improvement cycles can be grassroots-driven and contextualized at the district and school level. Engage in guided reflection and collaborative discussions using a side-by-side graphic organizer to assess existing professional learning structures and identify next steps for implementation. Analyze one approach to cultivating a culture of feedback and continuous improvement through professional learning and an effective instruction rubric to inform your own district’s journey.

Explore a collaboration between a large district and a teachers union that uses improvement science to structure professional learning driven by educator needs. See how this collaboration supports teachers to learn together, and how leaders are building new ways to understand the impact of educator learning on practice and on students.

Dive into design thinking’s transformative potential to address complex challenges in education. Step into stakeholders’ perspectives, brainstorm bold ideas, and prototype and test innovative solutions focused on designing exemplary professional learning to reflect teacher voice.

How might we redesign our processes and systems for all students? Experience how process maps can be used to better understand critical processes, identify possible breakdowns for those we serve, and generate change ideas to support student success.

Can all students and families see themselves in your school or are some expected to check their culture at the door? Learn about steps one award-winning school took to increase sense of belonging for both students and families at their school. Leave with a roadmap that guides leaders through the key components of a professional learning plan that moves from awareness to action.

Does your data show a disparity in achievement for certain demographic groups in career and technical education courses? Explore ways to decrease the opportunity gap for special populations in these classrooms and ways in which to coach teachers who may be hesitant to try new approaches.

Explore of the neurobiology of stress and the unmet needs that drive student behavior, with practical strategies for proactive intervention. If we don’t address the unmet needs at the core of any unwanted behavior, a newer, even more unwelcome response will likely take its place.

Explore the critical need to move beyond mediocrity in education and aim higher for student success. Learn how to identify and dismantle average practices, foster a culture of high expectations, and implement data-driven strategies for better outcomes.

Discover practical strategies to transform your professional learning community into a powerful system of support for early literacy. Learn how to analyze student data, design targeted interventions, and apply research-backed instructional practices aligned with the science of reading.

Discover a structured, research-backed approach to curriculum implementation that enhances educator effectiveness and drives student success. Navigate a scaffolded implementation framework incorporating internalization strategies, structured literacy principles, and data-driven insights for sustainable curriculum impact.

Explore a multi-year curriculum adoption cycle, focusing on empowering educators to implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum. Engage with research-backed strategies and collaborative discussions aimed at enhancing curriculum alignment and consistency across schools.

How do professional learning providers support access to timely, actionable student data that school teams need to engage in instructional improvement? Explore a system of measures from a group of schools focused on mathematics improvement, with an emphasis on developing confidence and agreement around shared measures among all network participants — from the classroom to the district level.

Getting reluctant or less tech-savvy users to embrace AI tools, often due to fears of complexity, loss of control, or resistance to change can be a huge challenge. By flipping the traditional work pyramid — where leadership and creative functions are bogged down by administrative or repetitive work — AI offers a pathway to restoring time for the things that matter most: strategy, decision-making, and innovation.

Embark on a journey to transform school-based mentors into visionary instructional leaders and coaches. Through targeted professional learning in mentoring, coaching, and leadership, participants will master the art of building bridges from district to school-based support. Empower aspiring, new, and experienced teachers, driving excellence in educator practice and student success.

Learn from instructional coaches, professional learning facilitators, and researchers about BSCS Science Learning’s professional learning program Science Teachers Learning from Lesson Analysis.

Learn to design and deliver professional learning that centers the audience experience. Grounded in adult learning theory, participants will explore how to differentiate by offering choice in content, process, and product, while responding to verbal and nonverbal cues and engaging learners emotionally. In addition to planning, this session will address common challenges in facilitation, such as identifying the root causes of resistance and responding professionally to difficult situations.

Systemic change to reach all learners does not have to be contentious. Conflict is a natural part of any change process, but there is a difference between destructive and productive conflict. Gain a deeper awareness of how their identity impacts current conflict styles, explore foundational conflict theory such as the predictable stages of conflict, and practice using a tool that has worked across multicultural settings for identifying positive action steps that transform conflicts.

Explore concrete strategies for turning data into action by centering student voice. Examine successes and challenges in engaging students as co-creators and improvers through tools like empathy interviews, student profiles, and the 42Q routine. Develop practical approaches to partner with students, bring their perspectives into convenings, and use data to drive meaningful, collaborative change.

Engage with representatives from two school districts and the Research Partnership for Professional Learning about their perspectives on structuring professional learning that supports teacher choice and agency.

Explore strategies to measure the impact of instructional coaching on both teacher practice and student outcomes. Engage in analyzing evaluation tools to assess for coherence between one district's vision for teaching and learning with the principles and practices of an instructional coaching model.

Open to current Academy members and Academy alumni only! Be the first to see the latest content in the new second edition of The Choreography of Presenting (Corwin Press). Explore ways of planning effective presentations using the new template for design, and dive into a few foundational skills essential for making an impact in any presentation, from one-on-one through to large groups.

Explore the transformational potential of site visits: a collaborative, peer-based professional learning framework which pairs classroom visits and rich, content-centered discussion. Step outside the traditional professional development box and feel empowered to build these structures as a way to deepen leaders’ and teachers’ pedagogical and content knowledge in order to accelerate student growth.

Explore the potential of automated feedback to enhance the efficiency and reach of instructional coaching. Learn how the M-Powering Teachers platform captures high leverage instructional practices in math instruction and provides key opportunities for teacher reflection.

Supporting teachers in making instructional shifts rooted in research, and implementing high-quality literacy curriculum, is still hampered by prior training and long held beliefs around reading that are preventing meaningful change. Learning from our experiences as a district leader and coach, educators will explore how to navigate the changes necessary to leave old beliefs behind.

Learn how to design a professional learning system that is rooted in the Standards for Professional Learning, reflects your district’s vision, and whose primary goal is to impact student outcomes through improvements in educator practices. Examine one district’s successful implementation of a professional learning system with experiences that are job-embedded, application-focused, and sustainable.

Explore how a structured professional learning strategy has empowered one district to move educators through progressive levels of AI integration. Learn to sustain continuous improvement, avoid past pitfalls in technology rollouts, and guide educators through AI integration levels with tools and insights to create innovative and dynamic learning environments.

Engage every student with meaningful, joyful learning! Help educators struggling to implement multiple curriculum and framework standards by introducing six evidence-based strategies that accomplish several student learning outcomes. Gain hands-on experience, explore responsive practices, and use AI tools to streamline alignment.

Want real, sustained change in your schools? Research indicates that the most effective way to sustain behavioral change is to impact thinking. Learn how to leverage the power of thinking-based coaching to foster teacher growth, improve student outcomes, and create a districtwide culture of reflection.

Establish steps to deepen your bench of leaders capable of advancing learner-centered systems transformation even during times of transition and uncertainty. Examine the skills and mindsets educators at all levels need to drive change towards a personalized, competency-based system.

School leaders, principals, assistant principals and teachers increasingly have to deal with polarization when working in teams, with students, and with parents and other external stakeholders. In this context, acquiring and incorporating multiple perspectives – an asset for the achievement of any goal — is especially crucial. Teams whose members authentically listen to each other, take advantage of each member’s skills, and learn, grow and continuously improve together —can get more done.

Co-planning is a proven strategy that helps educators adapt lessons using data and expertise from both general and special education teachers. Learn how educators at the forefront of this pivotal work nationwide are using co-planning to ensure rigor and accessibility for all students, drive alignment in instruction across settings, and build capacity among educators.

Engage in a simulation based on a real-life case that walks through the different phases of an improvement journey. Working with others on an improvement team, be immersed in activities that practice using the key tools of improvement science and experience the personal and relational aspects of the journey.

Explore how our perceptions and blindspots are baked into the ways we organize, develop and facilitate professional learning experiences in our schools and systems. Reflect upon practices designed to improve teacher effectiveness that may in fact create marginalized experiences for some educators. Learn how to unpack and reform learning designs for conditions that allow participants to unmask their whole selves; in turn enabling creativity, innovation, and collective efficacy to flourish.

Are your professional learning initiatives hitting the mark? Gain practical tools, strategies, and data review techniques to simplify evaluation using a participatory framework that enhances participants’ Knowledge, Aspirations, Skills, Attitudes, and Behaviors (KASAB) to improve student outcomes. Explore proven strategies, protocols, case studies, impact data, and adaptable resources to strengthen your professional learning evaluation efforts.

Examine the factors that have impacted the efforts of a large urban school district to embed the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child's (CRTWC) Social, Emotional, and Cultural Framework into the professional development pipeline in order to transform school climate. Explore how this framework can serve as a roadmap for district and school leaders to foster academic success and promote the well-being of both teachers and students.

Increase your effectiveness as a facilitator by extending your skills for managing group energy, focus, and information flow. Enhance knowledge of group dynamics, facilitation, group engagement, and group development, and improve your capacity to get work done, do the right work, and manage change and adaptivity.

Learn about the complexities of beginner and newcomer English learners/multilingual learners and how to support them. Create welcoming school and classroom communities, gather essential student information, and deliver high-quality instruction tailored to their needs.

Develop methods for multilingual learners to practice academic language through podcast creation and discussion. Empower students to refine their language skills while exploring content that resonates with their experiences and interests.

Transitioning to a science-based reading program while addressing new reading laws can be challenging. Explore one school's success in closing the reading gap by strategically implementing literacy programs and providing targeted, sustained professional learning. Through insights from a Director of Curriculum, an educator, and an external partner, discover how collaboration across roles, from schools to Central Office, improved teacher effectiveness, implementation, and student impact.

Differentiation is an aspirational goal that many teachers find daunting and impractical. Be encouraged to move away from the conventional content/process/product model and think about differentiation in a more straightforward way: how teachers prepare units and lessons with multiple access points; how they set up scaffolding visuals in their classrooms; how they effectively present lessons and respond to learning difficulties in real time; and how they and their colleagues follow up with students who are not yet successful.

Discover strategies to enhance cognitive engagement through the Building Thinking Classrooms frameworks. Gain practical tools to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, empowering educators and driving student success.

Experience how the new Anchored Inquiry Learning instructional model creates learning experiences that motivate students with significant, real-world phenomena and problems. Promote instructional parity through authentic societal challenges, cycles of inquiry, and sensemaking.

Fuel your passion for professional learning by discovering the power of the Standards for Professional Learning. They point the way to improving student outcomes by drawing on research of system, school, and educator content, processes and conditions that lead to success. Bring your current professional learning plan for a deeper learning experience!

Explore how a dual enrollment program shapes future educators by offering high school students college-level courses and early teaching experiences, to ensure seamless transitions to higher education, focusing on mentorship, career readiness, and teaching opportunities.

Ready your new instructional coaches for success by building a strong foundational induction program. Learn how one school system designed keystone induction experiences that positively impacted students and teachers across the division.

Are you struggling to unlock student's math brilliance in your school district? Do you want to build conceptual understanding, while also ensuring students have necessary content secured? Hear how one school district is leveraging dynamic math assessment practices to drive systematic improvement in student outcomes.

Learn how educators are tackling GenAI and building their capacity to use AI in classrooms through a scalable community of practice model. Explore facets of the model that can be adopted or adapted for use in your own school, district, or region.

Explore an innovative approach to blended learning, integrating asynchronous and synchronous components to maximize educator support and growth. Learn how this scaleable model adapts to the needs of an array of educational contexts, offering flexibility while ensuring impactful professional learning.

Discover strategies to transform professional learning into interactive, meaningful experiences. Explore how to design a vertically-aligned, skills-based system that incorporates teacher needs, inter-district objectives, grade-level goals, and evidence-based practices. Apply adult learning theory principles and leverage prior experiences to create cohesive, learner-centered programs.

How can schools leverage student-centered coaching to improve instructional practices and outcomes for all students? Explore one district’s journey to design and implement a student-centered coaching model to support all teachers and students across targeted grades at the elementary level. Student-Centered Coaching is an evidence-based, data-driven instructional coaching model that shifts the focus from fixing teachers to collaborating with them to use student data to design and deliver high quality instruction and immediate intervention.

How can schools better support early math learning? Co-educators, also known as paraeducators, paraprofessionals, and instructional assistants are often an overlooked resource for our schools. Learn how a research project used a professional development curriculum to teach co-educators how to support student math learning, and how this has led to family engagement.

Peer feedback fuels teacher growth and student success. Learn how two schools are using feedback to ignite collaboration and boost learning. Discover powerful, research-backed strategies to turn observations into action and data into impact.

Empower educators to adopt the "coaching up" philosophy, fostering collaboration, professional growth, and improved student outcomes. Gain insights into building meaningful coaching relationships, inspiring peer support, and establishing a culture of continuous learning.

Learn to identify and empower willing and able educators, allowing for high-level professional development. Explore strategies to foster growth, build capacity, and create a ripple effect in your educational community.

Discover how “unlearning” can significantly transform your organization into a true “learning” environment. Apply research-based connections to adult learning theories and explore practical strategies for designing and redesigning systems and innovative programs.

Explore how a university and elementary school partnered for targeted administrative coaching and ongoing teacher leader professional learning. See how one principal, realizing that wisdom is not a by-product of a promotion, intentionally bridged the gap between new titles and the necessary leadership skills to influence and impact teacher practice and therefore outcomes for students.

What can be done now to prepare for — or better yet, mitigate — a mass exodus of principals over the next few years? Learn what current research is saying about the role of the principal, and specifically how districts can support their early career principals to lead a thriving learning community.

What sets leaders in innovative schools apart from those in traditional settings? Reflect on how your leadership communicates a vision for deeper learning and how aligning the experiences of students and adults fosters schoolwide transformation.

Building a culture of coaching within a building or department can have a profound impact on results. Learn coaching skills to build trust and rapport in a variety of situations, including with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and colleagues. Learn how a high school principal built a culture of coaching in the school where students and teachers receive coaching, leading to an increase in student achievement.

Explore a collaborative approach to enhancing teacher learning in support of multilingual learners’ linguistic and academic progress. Address key elements of these partnerships, develop new coaching skills, and learn to support partnership building.

Identify key frameworks and levers that drive collaboration amongst district leaders and teams to improve professional learning design and implementation. Evaluate your current culture and structures for collaborative planning and design, and design critical actions to enhance collaboration and improve learning outcomes.

Imagine a school where every team is high-functioning — not just collegial, but actually “Bridging Professional Learning & Student Success.” Clarify the role, responsibilities, assumptions, and mindsets necessary for teacher team leaders to be effective in getting more done, in less time, and with greater joy.

Discover strategies to create engaging classrooms for all students by embracing and leveraging student experience to build connections and mutual respect. Explore practical tools and best practices to transform classroom environments and enhance student outcomes through thoughtful and responsive teaching.

Create a system of accountability for belonging in your classroom by applying the five-step process of Teaching with Dignity, centering dignity and feedback within instruction. Develop confidence in prioritizing and advocating for belonging as a human need, engagement activator, achievement platform, and ensuring collective success is a foundation.

Making significant changes in how you teach is difficult whether you are a novice or veteran teacher. Explore how teachers have applied what they learned in a professional learning program focused on asset-based teaching, as they engaged in deep reflection about their own identities and explored new ways to build relationships with all students, engage them in learning, and assess learning in multiple ways.

Examine how culturally relevant pedagogy practices enhance student engagement and support teacher retention. Explore strategies to foster learning, integrate high-quality instruction, and address systemic imbalance, emphasizing collaborative inquiry to improve outcomes for both educators and students.

Explore how structured planning tools enhance teacher collaboration, instructional coherence, and student engagement. Engage in hands-on activities using the Unit Unpacking and Lesson Planning Tools to align lessons with big ideas, standards, and assessments.

Rigor — one of the most disliked terms in education. Teachers struggle with how to define it in observable and actionable ways and have trouble explaining it in ways that lead to improved rigor and maintaining high expectations in their classrooms. Explore misconceptions and reclaim and redefine the term as a tool for professional growth and student learning.

Many school districts are experiencing a shift in literacy practices, which calls for well planned and executed teacher learning and development opportunities. Hear one district's journey through the curriculum revision cycle rooted in a comprehensive professional learning plan that includes multiple modalities.

Identify the importance of coherence and communication around the “why” of using high-quality instructional materials and the role of curriculum-based professional learning. Learn about work with administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders focused on leadership, effective teaching and learning, and the implementation of high-quality instructional materials, and how a strong partnership supports this effort.

Experience a curriculum designed for newcomer students, examine its theoretical foundations, and discuss how localized, educative curricular materials coupled with curriculum-based professional learning can increase quality educational opportunities for multilingual learners.

Delve into multiple immediately applicable unit long structures that support student growth, independence, and power in reading a text. Use tools to support growth and independence along skill lines, and reorganize ways a unit can function for greater sustainability for the teacher and effectiveness for students.

Consider how to write about your professional learning insights, experiences, and journeys for publication. Identify writing goals and ideas, gain strategies and tips for communicating effectively, and practice writing in response to prompts.

Enhance the impact of professional learning by developing systems to measure and improve effectiveness. Learn strategies to create sustainable processes, use data to inform decisions, and foster a culture of continuous improvement, using best practices in leadership development, instructional leadership, and mentorship programs, all aligned with the Standards for Professional Learning.

Join a Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year in an interactive discussion on how innovative and personalized professional learning strategies can directly impact and improve student outcomes.

Unearth the narratives that guide our work and explore how sensemaking can support us to reshape these stories to deepen awareness and increase efficacy. Hear how one school uses sensemaking to interrupt harmful narratives about students and co-construct new understandings about what is possible in their classrooms.

Instructional coaching is a cornerstone of professional development, yet many districts struggle to measure its true impact. Address this gap by introducing a comprehensive evaluation framework for coaching programs, with hands-on experience in setting measurable goals for coaching initiatives, collecting and interpreting data to assess coaching impact, and applying findings to refine and elevate coaching practices.

Explore how educational data mining leverages big data to improve learning outcomes using artificial intelligence. Examine data collection methods, predictive insights into student performance, and applications for personalized learning.

Unlock the power of collective intelligence by establishing a mastermind group in your school or district. Discover how structured collaboration among educators fosters innovation, problem-solving, and professional growth. Learn practical strategies to create, sustain, and maximize the impact of a mastermind group that drives continuous improvement and leadership development.

We know that one size doesn't fit all for every student so why should one size fit all for every teacher? Learn how one award-winning school created a culture of coaching that led to increased teacher efficacy and accelerated student growth and achievement through individualized coaching, feedback, and professional development.

Explore a process for managing complex change and discover an original framework for designing professional learning experiences that model future-ready practices. Embrace a leadership role in shaping professional learning by fostering collaboration, modeling innovative practices, and supporting educator growth.

Observe and analyze a live coaching demonstration, listen to the coach’s reflection on the demonstration and explore feedback for the coach. Leverage the resources provided to practice coaching with your fellow participants and create a plan for continuing to grow as a coach in your home setting.

Many educators are still growing their content knowledge of the reading science that provides the rationale for adopting new high-quality instructional materials to support literacy outcomes. Learn how one district sought to enhance teacher literacy content knowledge prior to the curriculum adoption process, unpacking the resulting structures, professional learning experiences, and growth in teacher knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

Discover how to use a comprehensive professional learning cycle to design and facilitate engaging learning experiences, support implementation, and evaluate effectiveness through data from student outcomes.

Investigate a real-world case study that showcases the key systems and structures needed to build an effective professional learning system at school and district levels. Analyze artifacts such as meeting agendas, measurement tools, and professional learning content that drive impact, and apply these insights to your own context. Walk away with concrete strategies and ready-to-use resources to strengthen professional learning for the second half of the school year and beyond.

Play "The Game of Education," a strategic decision-making simulation inspired by game theory. Participants assume educational roles, navigate real-world scenarios, and balance collaboration with individual agendas.

Witness one school's remarkable transformation from the lowest-performing middle school to a student-centered learning hub. Explore the key strategies that enhanced teacher efficacy, engaged parents and community, and boosted student success.

Strong leadership, accountability, and continuous professional learning drive high-performing schools. Leaders must own their growth while providing personalized learning for teachers to shape culture, enhance instruction, and make more informed decisions.

School improvement efforts often operate in silos, limiting their effectiveness and sustainability. Learn about the Collaborative Improvement System, a strategic framework integrating Solution Tree PLCs, the Data Wise 8-Step Process, Improvement Science, and the Standards for Professional Learning. By aligning professional learning communities with data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement strategies, the Collaborative Improvement System ensures that professional learning directly impacts student success.

Wondering how to leverage your school-based expertise via peer coaching structures, but apprehensive about introducing another new initiative? Learn how we supported school leaders in creating unique, school-specific peer coaching systems to support desired outcomes.

Fostering teachers’ growth and K-12 students’ success requires intentional practices. Partake in professional learning focused on cultivating an environment of inquiry through lesson reflection and teacher communities to enhance educator performance, capitalizing on teacher expertise using the ORCA (Observe, Reflect, Create, Apply) framework to build capacity of educators while sustaining a culture of learning, and supporting the mentoring process for early career induction participants through professional learning to improve practice.

When educators co-create an evaluation plan grounded in research and explicitly designed to center learning and promote agency — for students and leaders — systemic change occurs. Meet an educator growth plan that improves learning for everyone, rather than focusing on outdated systems that stifle growth and consume time and energy.

How can education leaders ensure that the work to support all students is moving forward in their district? Experience how one school district used Facing History & Ourselves’ Equity Reflection Tool to make a thoughtful review of their current practices while setting goals for what they wanted for students, curriculum, school culture, and much more. Set realistic goals for your classroom, school, or district using the provided Equity Reflection Tool as well as additional resources to take back to your schools and districts.

Explore the complex work of responding to both the language and literacy development needs and the individualized education programs or 504s of multilingual learners with exceptionalities. Review one district’s success story regarding identification and program design for dually identified students.

Discover how place-based learning empowers educators to connect curriculum with community and culture. Engage in hands-on activities to map local assets, design inquiry-driven projects, and amend curricula for broader learning.

Shift the narrative of grading actions away from the culture of completion compliance and cultivate curiosity, risk-taking, and student ownership of learning. Reframe the model of grades for students and parents to emphasize growth-producing feedback, progress toward understood goals and targets, and seeking new challenges.

Enhance student learning through a cohesive, standards-aligned, and research-based approach to instructional planning. Prioritize student outcomes through enhanced districtwide resources surrounding a shared vision and common language of instruction. Engage teachers in meaningful collaboration, deepening their understanding of content standards, addressing potential student misconceptions, and practicing evidence-based strategies with peers to foster clear, measurable student outcomes and a unified commitment to high-quality, impactful instruction.

Discover how to use a research-based thinking routine to enhance student success in math and measure problem solving skill development through a supportive lens. Learn how to design a professional learning collaboration that supports high-quality instructional materials accessibility and empowers teachers with strategies to engage all learners.

Much attention is given to intervention and remediation in an effort to close learning gaps. When many students aren't achieving lesson outcomes, we need to take a closer look at Tier One/core instruction. Learn how to plan lessons with impactful strategies proven to maximize student learning.

Explore the development and sustainability of a rural regional mentor program, with strategies for training effective mentors, fostering collaborative professional learning opportunities for both mentors and new teachers, and utilizing assessments to track the growth of new educators.

Are your students building foundational knowledge, wrestling with disciplinary concepts, and applying their skills and understanding to new contexts? Do your teachers have routines and strategies for building surface, deep, and transfer learning, as well as the dispositions needed for rigorous thinking? Learn high-impact instructional strategies and coaching techniques that will make rigorous routines sustainable.

How can we reverse the downward spiral of the mental health of our students? Teachers model the emotional regulation strategies and competencies for students, so it is important to empower any teacher or school or district leader to embed evidence-based wellness skills inherent in emotional intelligence into already existing daily classroom routines and state-standards-aligned curricula.

Discover how a transformative partnership between New Leaders and a public school system enhanced administrator effectiveness for reaching all students. Explore research-backed coaching and workshops rooted in the Transformational Leadership Framework™, empowering assistant principals to drive instructional improvements and create comprehensive school cultures.

Participate in hands-on activities and reflective discussions to uncover assumptions and their impact on teaching and relationships. Analyze real-world scenarios, explore personal perspectives, and develop strategies to foster empowering classrooms.

Discover effective strategies for observing novice teachers and providing constructive, immediate feedback, promoting teacher self-reflection, and encouraging continuous improvement. Empower new educators to analyze their practice and grow through focused, real-time response.

Reimagine mentorship by focusing on hospitality and creating a culture of connection, care, and belonging. Discover how this approach has enhanced teacher confidence, promoted mental health, and increased retention, while also improving instructional practices in one district.

Explore how artificial intelligence enhances teaching and learning by promoting personalization and deeper learning. Engage with AI tools that streamline instruction, reduce administrative tasks, and foster collaboration among educators.

Discover how one district designed and launched an instructional coaching model that transformed teacher and principal practice and focuses on student-centered learning through a clear vision, collaborative purpose, and defined roles. Build actionable strategies to create scalable coaching systems, from impactful meeting routines to personalized learning and reflective practices, that foster staff development and align with continuous improvement.

Discover how one school system increased teacher satisfaction and retention by over 20% in one year by reimagining their mentoring model and focusing on success for all. Explore tools and strategies used by professional growth specialists to cultivate belonging and community, deepen professional practice, and support new teachers’ growth.

How can school districts design and implement high-quality professional learning experiences that equip teachers to meet all learners? Explore how educators implement a Learning Design process that is a standards-focused, evidence-based approach to designing unique thinking-learning experiences for students.

Imagine leading a learning experience where participants make meaningful connections, encounter surprising shifts in their thinking, and leave inspired to explore further. Successfully implemented across preK-20 and adult education settings, the Challenge Mosaic is a powerful tool that consistently generates meaningful "aha" moments and lasting mindset shifts.

Differentiated instructional coaching can impact student and teacher engagement by strengthening curriculum implementation and empowering teachers to refine instructional practices. Learn how one urban school, supported by Scholastic, uses data-driven strategies to design sustainable professional learning and enhance reflective coaching.

How do you know your students are learning deeply? Deep dive into designing measurement systems that provide insight into core concerns, and create a simple set of measures to improve learning experiences for your students and teachers.

Learn to use Kotter’s 8-Step Process framework for leading change in your school or district. Engage in innovative strategies that will help you communicate urgency, build a guiding coalition, develop a shared vision, address resistance, and engage educators in professional learning that addresses both the head and heart.

Tune up your district’s mentorship program! Discover how to customize mentorship, offering tailored support for new and experienced teachers — an opportunity to drive impactful, fun, and effective collaborations that keep teachers on track for excellence.

Elevate student voices to bridge the gap between teacher perceptions and student learning experiences. Examine a case study where a district reshaped priorities by centering student feedback, and identify strategies to actively incorporate student perspectives into your organizations’ professional learning.

Educators are the greatest assets in education and their well-being impacts the ability to create thriving schools. Explore ways to navigate the unique stressors that educators face, by learning strategies to address chronic stress, shift unhealthy mindsets and behaviors, and create a more balanced lifestyle.

How can schools move beyond traditional leadership hierarchies to foster a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement? Learn how leaders from one school have embraced distributive leadership to empower educators and drive meaningful schoolwide change. Participants will explore the principles that guide this leadership model—autonomy, experimentation, and partnerships—and examine how these principles have shaped growth initiatives.

Analyze a three-phase collaborative inquiry-based model initiative, a faculty-led project focused on teaching and assessing students’ leadership skills across all school classrooms.

Learn the importance of crafting standards-aligned Individual education program goals that drive meaningful progress for students, and explore how to collaborate effectively with general educators, interventionists, and families to develop goals that bridge grade-level expectations with individual student needs.

Systemic learning cycles support increased teacher engagement, planning for adult learning, and leveraging distributive leadership for improved student learning. Explore a model that can be applied to any school-based problem.

How do we bring all students to the center of data inquiry? Examine the Data Wise Improvement Process, a field-tested continuous improvement model. Participants will practice protocols to strengthen teamwork and reflect upon questions that help educators focus on all learners throughout collaborative data inquiry.

We often experience lots of talk about academic improvement, ideas are tossed around as possible steps to address the problem, and then nothing happens. New initiatives fizzle quickly when the next round moves in. By using a three-step model of challenge-practice-results for professional learning, we link student results to educator practices.

Shift your mindset of professional development to designing professional learning through collaborative community educational services teams. Explore how one district operationalized the Standards for Professional Learning through an integrated approach to design emphasizing adult learning principles, active learning designs, and evidence-based strategies.

Gain insights from an innovative, urban high school's three-year journey to establish a culture of learning through non-negotiables and bylaws centered on collective responsibility for student learning, efficacy-building relationships, and teacher leadership. Examine the collaboration protocols utilized to foster educators' commitment to a research-informed culture of learning.

Explore strategies to sustain educational parity for English learners in schools despite outside pressures. Gain practical insights into resisting performative actions and focus on authentic, meaningful advocacy and support for these students, fostering respect within the educational system.

Explore practices that use AI and digital tools to support successful student outcomes.  Learn strategies to create personalized learning experiences that cater to each student's unique needs, ensuring better outcomes for each student.  Walk away with actionable insights to promote fairness and opportunity for all students.

Learn new steps to transform educator support systems! Using the metaphor of an ecosystem, school leaders will learn practical strategies for generating a vision for access, supporting collective and individual well-being.

Educators are reimagining professional learning to create meaningful, future-ready classrooms. By embracing AI as a thought partner, schools can elevate teaching through ethical use, digital citizenship, and intentional instructional design. Join Dyane Smokorowski and Rob Dickson to see how empowered educators spark innovation, build student agency, and create relevant learning experiences. When professional growth aligns with classroom needs, learning becomes more engaging, impactful, and full of possibility — for both students and teachers. Dyane Smokorowski is the Coordinator of Digital Literacy for Wichita Public Schools, where she leads professional learning that helps educators design classroom experiences grounded in strong pedagogy and purposeful technology integration. A nationally recognized educator, Smokorowski was named the 2013 Kansas Teacher of the Year and inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame in 2019. She leads with optimism, grounded in the belief that great teaching transforms lives. Rob Dickson is the Chief Information Officer for Wichita Public Schools, where he heads technology strategy for 50,000 students and nearly 10,000 staff across 94 schools and programs. A 2021 Kansas City CIO of the Year (Public Sector) and a leader in digital transformation, Dickson has propelled Wichita to national recognition—including Microsoft Showcase School honors and innovative partnerships with higher education and industry. His work also includes founding the Education Imagine Academy, a thriving K-12 virtual school. He is driven by a passion to evolve education for the future of work — ensuring technology accelerates lifelong learning and student success.

High-quality curriculum is essential, but is undermined by “curriculum DJs” who cobble together materials rather than using approved district curriculum, and the impact is diminished rigor. In this session, we equip you with tools to help educators ensure that instructional materials support deep learning. Participants will explore practical strategies to align curriculum with authentic rigor, fostering access to meaningful, high-impact instruction for all students.

How do you avoid teacher burnout? In this engaging workshop based on the book by the same title, educators will learn how to restore their passion for teaching and explore 12 brain-based principles for avoiding burnout, increasing optimism, and supporting physical well-being for optimal work/life balance.

Learn how to design and gather relevant evidence on professional learning experiences that have positive effects on teaching practices and student learning outcomes. We will develop strategies for gathering crucial evidence on professional learning experiences to verify results and guide future improvement efforts, and explore ways to accommodate specific context factors that influence professional learning success.

Explore the principles of high-quality adult learning to promote system-level change. Examine learning structures that breathe life into your organization while teaching and transforming all stakeholders’ attitudes, perceptions, and learning. Construct and evaluate fresh, inspired professional learning for all.

Examine and apply strategies from a mentoring cycle focused on diagnosing new teacher needs, providing coaching support to address those needs, and monitoring progress to measure growth and evaluate impact. Learn and practice skills to build strong relationships and communicate effectively with beginning teachers. Apply adult learning theory and understanding of new teacher mindset to the mentoring role. Design and implement a mentoring support plan that grows new teachers’ knowledge and skills.

Learn to design high-quality, interactive, and relevant professional learning that can escalate changes in educator practice leading to improved student outcomes. Explore the specific learning needs of adults and engaging processes to ensure those needs are met, all while extending your understanding of quality professional learning design through peer collaboration.

Explore the keys to student engagement and learn how to help students make meaning and connect their learning to relevant artificial intelligence experiences. Tackle five strategies that work to engage students at every grade level and inspire innovative work: choice-based instruction, inquiry-based projects, authentic audience, competitive challenges, and launching to the world.

Coaching is high-impact professional learning, but its impact depends on the coaching skills of the person providing the coaching. Too often, coaches receive training at the start of their careers but very little support for the continued development of their skills. We will focus on the skills and structures that coaches and coach champions can use to foster sustained improvement in even the most experienced coaches.

Develop clarity on the purpose and initial steps for beginning instructional coaches, with an emphasis on the importance of building relationships through coaching to enhance teacher practice. Explore strategies to improve initial instruction, promoting student growth and achievement for all learners. Collaborate and reflect with others to gain confidence in establishing impactful coaching relationships and driving instructional improvement in your setting.

Learn how AI can open new doors for coaching by helping teachers coach each other, creating time for leaders to have coaching conversations, and making formal coaching faster and easier to scale. Discover what AI can and can’t do and why it should be a tool for coaches, not a replacement for human interaction. Walk away with practical tools and strategies you can use in many coaching roles and contexts.

Transform how you present, lead meetings, and deliver professional development. In this hands-on session, you will dive into the key skills and techniques that build trust, strengthen rapport, elevate your listening abilities, and empower you to recover with grace when things do not go as planned. You will gain insight into a proven framework that helps you create dynamic presentations time after time. Recommended book (optional): https://www.corwin.com/books/the-choreography-of-presenting-284395

Delve into the Standards for Professional Learning with Learning Forward’s standards team. Hear first-hand from a community of professional learning leaders who evaluated the effectiveness of their professional learning with districts, identified and celebrated their strengths, and strategically improved their areas for growth using the standards and their accompanying implementation tools.

Explore strategies for productive yet challenging conversations, gaining insight into conflict and interpersonal communication. Learn how to create action plans and use scripting tools that foster humane and growth-producing conversations while avoiding words that put others on the defensive.

Gain step-by-step guidance to maximize collaborative learning time for teachers to solve specific student learning challenges by implementing a five-stage cycle of teacher-led professional learning. Examine a process for using student data to craft student and educator learning goals leading to learning plans, implementation steps, and progress monitoring. Focus on the role of learning teams in implementing high-quality instruction and what that means for student and educator learning goals.

Using the Leadership Compass assessment, identify which of four leadership styles you embody. Examine the strengths and weaknesses of this style, and explore ways to supplement weaknesses through cooperation with leaders who have complementary strengths. Discuss a series of leadership scenarios experienced by educators and collaborate across style categories to identify optimum leadership approaches that draw on everyone's strengths.

Identify professional learning features and content most likely to boost student outcomes. Synthesizing results from dozens of experimental studies, we'll first debunk common myths — ideas unsupported by evidence — and then talk about what works.

Explore research on the role of teacher coaching programs as part of a broader school-wide commitment to continuous improvement and professional growth. Use research findings to design teacher coaching programs to be effective, sustainable, and scalable. Leverage coaching as a tool to increase teacher satisfaction, performance, and retention.

Research has illuminated the complex processes involved in learning to read, with important implications for how educators teach and how school systems support them to align their instruction with evidence and best practices. Principals, coaches, teachers, and other educators need to be on the same page about reading instruction, and research provides the foundation for that coherence. This session will zoom in on the research behind a particular challenge for many students, making sense of content-rich text, and on strategies for addressing it.

Innovate to support neurodiverse students in your classroom! Explore universal design for learning principles, multisensory approaches, and tech tools to create comprehensive, engaging learning environments that help foster success for all learners.

Would you like to discover how to amplify support and promote expressive language in the classroom? Uncover the power of crafting language objectives to accelerate second language acquisition and strengthen core instruction.

Leaders often express a commitment to all students but unknowingly fall into common detours that stall progress. Explore how utilizing coaching stances in leadership mitigates these detours, ensuring that support, feedback, and performance management truly reach all learners.

How can organizations gather data to identify and target professional learning to improve instructional practice? Learn how one urban school system has developed a universal feedback system for professional learning to collect data on professional learning effectiveness and gaps in instructional knowledge.

Discover how a professional learning designer creates, facilitates, and implements self-directed online professional learning. Take compliance-based, check-the-box directives and transform it into self-reflective and engaging professional learning.

Learn how to implement a lesson study model in your school or district so professional learning is embedded into each teacher's classroom and centered around collaboration and student outcomes.

Explore how feedback dispositions and behavioral insights impact feedback relationships. Through research-driven discussion, educators will be introduced to strategies to provide and receive feedback effectively, fostering stronger professional learning environments and improving collaboration in schools.

Explore how to use the most pertinent summative and formative assessments to plan for small-group literacy instruction, with techniques to accurately group students for this high-quality, focused instruction. Learn how to implement five different developmentally appropriate lesson plan frameworks.

Design effective student-led conferences by exploring a range of formats and determining the best fit for various contexts, including elementary and secondary settings. Explore aligning student-led conferences with an assessment tool grounded in the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium standards to promote instructional growth and accountability.

Organizations must start building behaviors that empower them to reach all learners. Research shows that a few key communication skills can create psychological safety so everyone feels welcome to share their perspectives and contribute.

Explore an integrated professional learning model grounded in Joellen Killion's Backmapping Model and driven by formative data. Learn the impact on teachers, classrooms, and student learning, highlighted by examples from our early literacy walkthrough process and professional learning practices.

Discover how a Lead Mentor, a teacher leader who plays a pivotal role in coordinating a school’s mentoring and induction program, can work with administrators to establish and implement a framework of district and school-level support. Gain practical strategies to design or strengthen an induction program, and actionable steps for that program's success.

Empower educators with effective strategies and data-driven interventions to enhance student success in mathematics. Explore proven practical approaches to support students at various levels, ensuring a more successful learning environment.

Competency-based education requires both young people and educators to shift mindsets, routines, and practices. Explore a robust coaching model, developed over fifteen years through extensive network and school partnerships, which promotes multiple entry points and offerings, flexibility, access to models and expert guidance, learning communities, and hands-on piloting, all designed to foster competency and agency in practitioners and learners.

How can schools engage staff and student voices to gather feedback and co-create learning experiences and community partnerships? Access and adapt practical models of processes, action steps, and solutions to enhance collaboration and tackle potential challenges that arise.

In today's dynamic work environment, fostering strong relationships within the workplace is critical for employee satisfaction and retention. We will explore the concept of relational capacity — the collective ability of team members to establish and maintain healthy, productive relationships — and its significant impact on employee retention.

Design a more peaceful and focused classroom that aligns with your teaching style using a classroom culture framework, and feel confident in your ability to create a classroom space in which all students feel empowered and connected.

Explore how professional learning bridges directly to student success through collaborative, data-driven practices. Participants will engage in analyzing student data, applying professional learning community protocols, and developing actionable plans that connect educator growth to measurable outcomes.

The IRIS Center develops and disseminates free online resources about evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices for professional and personalized learning activities at the school, district, and state levels. Learn to utilize these professional learning resources for general and special education teachers and paraprofessionals.

Discover how certification empowers teachers to elevate their instructional practices and enhance student outcomes. Start your certification journey and leverage this recognition to transform your classroom and career.

We all know — and research confirms — that one-time workshops have a limited impact on staff and student outcomes. We will explore a research-based professional learning cycle and review case examples of how schools are leveraging each component of the cycle to create extended, transformative professional learning experiences.

Curriculum implementation takes a collaborative effort. Creating structures, establishing systems, setting expectations, and developing expertise are necessary for lasting change and improved performance. Hear the story of a collaborative effort between school leaders, teachers, and a software development team, learning together to build coherent practices, alignment, collective efficacy, and measurable positive outcomes for all.

Historically, scholars from rural or underserved communities have had limited exposure to STEM career pathways, mentorship opportunities, and access to industry networks, making it harder for them to pursue STEM careers. The STEM Career Connection Initiative is designed to engage curiosity and equip participants with pathways that foster success in the field.

Learn how to integrate team leader development, coaching cycles, learning walks, and peer coaching into a cohesive plan that supports school improvement and district goals. Create a transformative professional learning strategy that enhances teaching and inspires engagement for staff and students.

Explore innovative strategies for teacher-driven differentiated learning to meet the needs of educators and students, and join in collaborative discussions around designing professional learning that maximizes student success.

Discover how professional learning communities can integrate responsive teaching practices to make informed instructional decisions across various standards, including mathematics, literacy, science, and social studies. Enhance student engagement and achievement by connecting curriculum to students' contexts and fosters a collaborative and comprehensive educational environment that supports all learners.

Quickly learn how to use fluency as a gauge to determine where, within a hierarchy of literacy skills, instructional emphasis should be placed to maximize student literacy success. Explore research-based strategies to scaffold literacy instruction in the highest quality small-group instructional format. Discover the value of this instruction to accommodate all students' individual learning needs and learn how to implement laser-targeted lessons that promote learning.

Explore an innovative approach to supporting classroom and English as Second Language teachers’ collaboration to enhance their early literacy instruction for multilingual learners using a strengths-based approach. Insights from a randomized controlled trial in a large school district will be highlighted to help participants develop an action plan for district, school, and classroom approaches.

Learn strategies, via small-group instruction and conferring, that help students alleviate anxiety, dependency, and dissociation stemming from reading. 

To significantly impact student achievement, professional learning must be strategic and multi-layered. We highlight effective professional learning structures, focusing on the synergy between building-based literacy coaches ("inside") and external consultants ("outside"), in order to strengthen frameworks and promote measurable student growth.

Discover how student-led teams are transforming schools by delivering tech-focused professional development to teachers and administrators. Explore a powerful model where students are trained on innovative technology tools, then gather feedback and plan for continuous improvement — building a sustainable, collaborative culture of learning.

Discover how leadership development programs empower youth to build grit, resilience, and collaboration, through the model of two secondary schools with differing communities and needs. Explore research-based leadership models, real-world case studies, and strategies for tailoring programs to meet unique community needs. Find tools to implement schoolwide initiatives that foster adaptability, perseverance, and result in long-term student success.

Explore tools and techniques to provide constructive feedback, model effective teaching practices, and cultivate strong partnerships that prepare student-teachers for success in the classroom. Understand the role of a master teacher in shaping a positive and impactful fieldwork experience, including strategies for effective mentorship and collaboration.

Learn how one school district developed a data-driven teacher pathway program to tackle regional teacher shortages, particularly in special education and multilingual education. Targeting high-need areas and fostering community collaboration ensures the program is aligned with district-specific needs.

DIY Coaching grew from the belief in every teacher’s capacity for self-reflection and growth, and brings teachers together to develop their pedagogical content knowledge through peer-to-peer collaboration and coaching. Reflection rooted in video allows teachers to become more aware of their practice and what pedagogical shifts are required to create a more student-centered classroom.

Get equipped with tools to lead with clarity, coherence, and impact. Through real-world discussions on leadership challenges, discover ways to maintain instructional leadership, identify school needs, and align improvement efforts with a shared vision.

Design instruction that supports all learners — students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and those with varying academic skills — without lowering expectations. Meet the “layered cake” approach, a practical framework for building access at multiple levels: whole-class, small-group, and individual, leading to meaningful participation in grade-level learning.